FA Skills Team

The FA Skills is a unique football coaching programme that gives 5-11's the opportunity to get active, learn new football skills and enjoy the game. We've been providing high quality football coaching for children since 2007 and have to date provided over 4 million child places on the programme, aiming to reach 4.7 million children by 2014.

The FA Skills Team is a nationwide initiative run by The Football Association. Our 158 expert youth coaches provide after-school football coaching, holiday football coaching and we also work within primary schools providing specialist football coaching. Our aim is to develop better and more technically gifted football players but also to give every child the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

The FA Skills Team is based on a unique FA coaching model that helps children of all abilities to grow, develop their skills and to reach their potential. The FA four corner model encompasses four key attributes that are vital for any developing young footballer: Physical, Technical, Psychological and Social elements, helping children to develop more than just their football skills – we’ll help them to gain confidence, build self-esteem, learn to work as team and improve their decision making.

Skills Centres

The programme’s Skills Centres are provided to raise the standards of grassroots football and give access to high quality coaching for all 5-11 year olds.

Skills Centres specifically look at the many different ways in which a young person learns and develops. Sessions will improve their social, psychological, technical and physical skills, no matter what their previous playing experience is. Skills Centres cost of a maximum of £2 per session and run the same night every week at the same venue during the school term. Skills Centres do not run during school holidays.

Primary Schools Coaching

The programme works with over 1700 primary schools and 4500 teachers a year, providing specialist, AfPE accredited, lessons using fun football based activities to contribute to the Invasion Games curriculum. and the coaches provide direct support to the class teachers.

Our coaches will typically work with a primary school in their county one day a week for the duration of half a term, providing specialist, age appropriate lessons for all ages from Years 1 to 6. The programme’s revolutionary approach is truly child-centred, is for all ability levels and focuses on class and individual learning needs. As well as helping to develop the technique, ball skills and confidence of children in primary schools, The FA Skills Team coaches pass on invaluable lesson ideas and guidance on to their teachers. If you are a teacher and The FA Skills Team coaches have been working with your school, the coaches will provide you with resources to allow you to carry on teaching the programme. Teacher support resources are also available online.

The Skills team take a strategic approach to delivering in primary schools, however if you would like to find out more about our schools delivery please contact Kirk McGinn at Kirk.McGinn@thefa.com

Holiday Sessions

During the school holidays The FA Skills Team coaches run taster sessions as an introduction to the programme for boys and girls of all abilities.

Our free Holiday Sessions take place during the Easter and Summer holidays, as well as every school half term. There are no free Holiday Sessions during the Christmas school holiday.